HetaMurder
by PoisonedChuugoku
Summary: A dead nation is a voiceless nation. The murdered cannot speak... But they're still there, still watching. And they will continue watching until the point where the survivors figure out the truth. I do not own Hetalia.
1. Prologue

It had originally been rather simple. Receive an invitation, call to confirm, arrive, have a good time, than leave.

But when have things ever been that easy?

When did it get so difficult?

I'm not entirely sure.

Oh, wait. I didn't introduce myself, did I? Heh, I guess I was so caught up in my musings, I never got around to doing it.

My identity isn't that important. Not yet anyway. Who I am doesn't matter until you hear this entire story.

It had been _so_ simple.

There was us, the nations of the world. Together, we met in a meeting room at least once a month to discuss global issues that will affect us all. Naturally, it turns into a full-out argument and then Germany would dismiss us because he would get a migraine. The problems that occurred in the world usually carried on into these meetings and the countries at odds would clearly make their displeasure known. But it never usually effected the entire stream of things.

At one such meeting, America had let everyone know that he was having a party at his house for New Years. Everyone was invited, of course. Most would never turn down such an offer, America's parties were some of the best after all. But somehow, and I'm not sure how it happened, but only nine of us showed up.

America was so disappointed, but the party began any way. I had this feeling though...

And I was right. Just when the clock struck twelve, a storm blew in from the coast. All the electricity went out in America's mansion and we were left in total darkness. America decided that it would be best that we go to bed and wait it out.

The next day, he didn't show up for breakfast. England insisted on waking him up. Him and France left the dining room to get America.

Russia wanted to speak with me. But I didn't notice. The only thing I heard were the surprised screams that came from upstairs before everyone took off to investigate.

England and France had found America. But it wasn't what they expected. It wasn't what anyone had expected.

There he was. The burger-eating nation. Lying in his bed, blue eyes wide and his chest streaming blood. The poker from the fireplace was stuck in the wound. America had been stabbed.

England tried getting the American up, but he wouldn't move. And all I could do was stand and stare in shock.

America didn't move. He didn't speak. He didn't seem to be breathing.

_Was America dead? _

No, he couldn't be. I know now that it was true.

Everyone was in a slight level of denial afterwords. England tried calling the local hospital, with no luck. The storm was still brewing outside. We all decided to stick together. It didn't help though.

The next was China. The oldest nation offered to make something to eat. We agreed that it was probably best. If there was a murderer on the loose, the oldest nation would be able to take him out with little to no problem.

Or so we thought.

When he hadn't returned after an hour, we all decided to check.

China _was_ in the kitchen. But he was leaning against the wall, a puddle of blood at his feet. The fried rice he had been cooking had spilled out of the pan and onto the floor. There was no evidence on how he was killed. At this point, many of us started to get more worried. Germany ordered everyone to not go anywhere by themselves.

It didn't help though.

Both Germany and Italy were killed next, and then followed by Japan and Russia.

One by one, the others were picked off.

Until I was the only one left.

But I got lucky. After the third day of no power, the lights finally came back on and I realized how utterly alone I was. There was no laughing or arguing around me. There was no one there at all.

I was alone.

The only one with me was the polar bear. And even he had noticed how quiet it was.

I didn't leave the mansion though. Instead, I wandered aimlessly. At the time, I wasn't certain what I was searching for. Maybe the killer so that he could take my life too. The good news was that I was able to find something.

It was a strange book. America had it in his library, though judging by the dust in there, he probably didn't know he had it. Not surprising.

I was attacked then. A hooded figure with a bloody knife and dripping saliva from his lips. I tried to run. The strange man was fast though and he pounced, knocking me over. I probably would have died right then and there if it weren't for the bear coming in to save me. I ran as fast as I could, the book in my hands.

I made it to the lobby, breathing heavily. The grandfather clock chimed twelve times and the book began to glow.

Next thing I knew, I was back at the world meeting, wondering what had happened.

It was confusing.

Everyone was alive and arguing like normal. They weren't hurt or injured in any way. Nothing was wrong. That as until...

"Ve~! New Years' is coming up and I'm going to be making pasta! Who wants to come over?"

It was weird. This time, it was Italy who made the offer of having people over. And just like last time, the same ones involved arrived at Italy's house.

It carried on like this up until the point where I decided I was going to try to change things.

I will try to figure out this mystery.

I will try to save everyone.

Even if I die in the process.


	2. Arrival

America grinned, slamming the door of his car. He glanced up to the large house at the head of the driveway, put his hands in his pockets, and whistled a merry tune on the way to the front door.

The nation had been invited to a New Years' party. Every year, the party is held at a different nation's house. The host usually let everyone know at the meeting the month prior. This year, it was England's turn. Unfortunately, it won't be as heroic as one of his own, but it'll have to do.

England lived in a giant mansion in a remote part of his country. America could remember the tales that the Brit told him of it when he was a kid. He's seen it every now and then ever since_ that time_, and had even been inside it's walls. The American was secretly dreading the food that would be served, so he brought an entire crate of hamburgers and soda cans. He had no doubt that the others would bring their own food too. That's how it was whenever it was England's turn.

Just as he reached the fifteen meter wooden doors, the nation looked behind him when he the sound of a car honk. A large van pulled into the driveway. Upon stopping, the door opened. Out stepped Germany, his brother Prussia coming from the other side. The back door of the van also opened and a familiar Italian with a happy smile and closed eyes hopped out. Germany opened the trunk of the van and the three proceeded to pull out its contents.

The American felt his grin widen upon seeing the large boxes the group was pulling out.

_"I knew it! England won't appreciate it though..." _He gave himself a shrug before ringing the doorbell.

* * *

The personification of a certain European nation pursed his lips. There was only a total of nine guests in his main entrance hall. America, who was busy eating hamburgers (where did he get those?!), was speaking to someone with a bear who looked quite similar to him (who was that?). It would be more accurate to say that the person was nodding while America was talking, simply listening with a smile.

England turned to look across the room to Japan, who was with Germany, Italy, and Prussia, the group catching up on current news. China and Russia were sitting on one of the couches together, France teasing the blushing Asian nation while Russia simply smiled that unnerving smile of his. The Brit could feel a vein popping on the side of his head. He got confirming calls from every other nation in the world, and yet they didn't show up! What kind of person did that?

Sighing, he decided to announce his presence.

"Glad you all could come," he began. Everyone's attention was now focused on him.

"If you would please follow me, we're going to be moving this party to the dining hall. This way." The nations followed, excitement showing on their features. Except for one.

The last person in the hall sighed.

"So... It begins once more."

He then gave a light jog, catching up with the group.

* * *

_**Hey everyone! This fanfic is brought to you by PoisonedProductions, aka me. *Winks***_

_**First of all, what the hell. I disappear for half an hour after posting the prologue, then suddenly, I get seven reviews. SEVEN! What the-? How did you all find me?! **_

_***Sighs* Anyway, I probably won't be updating this story as quickly as the LoNeLY series had been updated. The first reason why is because I have exams coming up. *Shudders* The second reason is better though; I've started getting into the anime Reborn! and I've been watching episodes recently. This fanfic **_**will**_** be updated though and I hope to complete it soon. **_


	3. Lights Out

_Diary Entry X - Dec. 30 XXXX_

_Loop #16_

_I've decided to write of my adventures within this book, this journal with the ability to take me back in time. It seems like the right thing to do. But I suppose the other pages full of entries similar to this one are not a hint. Who knows? _

_It's strange. The journal seems to have a never-ending supply of these pages. A new one appears whenever I need to write, yet the book's size doesn't change. I've tried ripping out some of the older entries, but they just reappear back in their original spot. I guess I might try to burn a page and see what happens. Maybe later._

_We're back at Italy's place this time. The last time we came here was the 2nd loop. I flipped back to that entry just to make sure. Yeah, that's it. The host himself was the first to lose his life, much like America did the time before. I think this might turn into a pattern. Or will it? Loop #12 took place at Japan's house, yet it was Russia who was killed first. _

_Scary._

_Even Russia doesn't seem to be safe..._

* * *

The sound of whirring made the house shudder and groan. China glanced worriedly out the window into the swirling winds. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed.

"It looks really bad out there aru," he said. The nations were sitting in England's dining hall, picking at the fish and chips that were on their plates. The Brit was at the head of the table, happily eating. He didn't seem to notice that his country's food wasn't making its way in single-file lines into his fellow nations' mouths.

"It does, doesn't it? I don't think it'll be safe to go outside any time soon," France replied, crossing his legs under the table.

"Bah! That rain won't be able to stop the AWESOME me!" Prussia raised his fork in the air, a triumphant grin on his face.

"That wouldn't be the best idea, Prussia-san," Japan chided, lightly pulling on the other's arm so he would sit down, "Driving in that weather could cause an accident."

"If you get into an accident," America spoke up, "then you can expect me to save you! Cause I'm the hero!" England whipped his head around at this, glaring.

"Can you please be quiet? I'm trying to eat here!"

The other nations could each feel a bead of sweat drip down the side of their heads.

_There they go again_, they all thought.

"Ve~ Are we all almost done? I want to play a game," Italy piped up, smiling. Germany sighed.

"Don't be so rude," he scolded. Italy frowned, before smiling once more as he began humming to himself.

Lightning crashed outside, making everyone jump as the lights flickered out. It was completely silent for a moment before Canada's soft voice asked the question that was on everyone's minds.

"Who turned off the lights?"

"It's probably the weather," England replied after a moment, "The lightning hit something and shut the power off." The sound of Italy beginning to cry could be heard. The sound of the Italian leaping out of his chair could be heard. When the lightning flashed again, they could see the nation sitting in Germany's lap, much to his surprise.

"I don't like the dark! It's scary!"

"Do you have a flashlight or something," America asked, "It's pretty dang dark in here."

"Hold on a second." It was quiet for a moment before a flame began to glow in England's hands, surprising everyone. He then conjured several candles, and the flames in his hands leapt to each in turn, igniting them. The dining room was bathed in a gloomy light.

"These will do for now," England said, "But I do have working flashlights in one of the drawers in the kitchen."

"In that case," Japan said standing, "I suppose I'll go and get them."

"I'll come with you aru," China said. Japan turned to his brother, holding up his hands.

"There's no need, China-san. I'll be fine." China stood from his chair, shaking his head.

"It's not that," he stated quietly, "It's just that... I have a bad feeling aru." Japan frowned, before nodding. One of the other nations watched carefully at this revelation.

"In that case," the Japanese man began again, "China-san and I will get the flashlights from the kitchen. England-san, how many are there?" The Brit tapped his chin.

"Five I think," he replied, "They should be in the cupboard closest to the back door." Germany raised an eyebrow, patting Italy's head as the nation shivered.

"Back door?" England nodded, turning to the German.

"Yes. The back door leads to the backyard. I usually keep it locked." China and Japan both nodded, mentally storing the information away.

"We'll be right back then." The two Asians grabbed a candle each and made their way to the kitchen door. Thankfully, the kitchen and dining room were connected by a door so that it would be easier to get food around to any guests over.

"Be careful, da?" China looked back at Russia, smiling.

"We'll be fine aru. No need to worry."

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 30 XXXX_

_Loop #Unknown_

_That's strange. _

_China never had any 'bad feelings' before. Or if he did, he never mentioned it. _

_This loop gives me a strange feeling, like something is going to happen. If it's good or bad, I don't know. _

_This situation has happened before, I'm positive. The loop was... I don't even remember. But I do know that last time, Japan went to the kitchen alone and never came back. At least he has help this time around in case of an emergency. _

_But even two people might not be enough to fight it... I should have gone with them. _

_I hope they'll be okay..._

_I'm so tired..._

* * *

**_Maybe a few diary entries will answer some questions you people have. Plus, it gives you an insight to our mystery protagonist's identity. _**


	4. Hide

_Diary Entry X - Dec. 30 XXXX_

_Loop #20_

_I failed again. _

_We had been eating dinner when the lights went out. Germany said that he had flashlights in the one of the kitchen drawers and Japan went to go get them. After half an hour, I started getting that paranoid feeling that something was wrong. Its only ever really been after _That Time_. Maybe a side-effect from using the diary twenty times now. _

_We were attacked by the mysterious eleventh person right after. It came from the door that led to the kitchen and had blood on its hands. I like to think that it hadn't gotten Japan, though my instincts tell me otherwise. When did it go wrong? _

_Though, judging by the rips and tears in the cloak of the murderer, Japan put up a fight. _

_Every time... _

_... are we..._

_... getting stronger?_

* * *

Japan and China held the candles up as they made their way down the long, dark hallway. It was slightly chilly, the Japanese nation noticed. Behind him, China shivered, his grip on his candle tightening. The two siblings continued down the hall, anxious. Japan wasn't sure why, but he felt uneasy. This feeling transferred into his actions; he would look over his shoulder into the gathering darkness behind them, just to make certain that nothing would suddenly pop up. China didn't even question it, his eyes simply focusing on going forwards.

Japan truly didn't know what he was so worried about. A shiver crept up his spine and refused to leave.

"Hey, Japan?" The Asian glanced at his older brother curiously.

"Yes China-san?" Shadows danced across the older nation's face, light from his candle flickering in others.

"I have this very bad feeling aru," China said after a moment's silence. Their footsteps continued down the hall. Japan raised an eyebrow at this comment, but said nothing as China kept talking.

"I'm not entirely sure why though, but... I felt that I needed to go with you aru."

Japan sighed.

"I would have been fine, China-san. You don't have to worry." The Chinese man shook his head.

"That's the strange thing aru! I know I shouldn't worry," China looked down at his feet, "But for some reason, I can't help it. And it's not only because it's you aru. The others..."

"You feel like something bad will happen to them?" At this, China gave a sharp nod. The two came to a halt, right in front of a wooden door. They glanced at each other before Japan reached forwards and turned the knob.

They came into a dark room and after raising their candles, realized that it was the kitchen that they had been searching for. Pans shone as the light passed over them, the two nations cautiously stepping into the room. China shuddered as a cold breeze swept past them. Upon noticing this, Japan glanced over to the side. Lightning flashed and his eyes widened.

"China-san," he said, grabbing onto the nation's shoulder and pointed. China looked at him, raising an eyebrow, before his eyes followed in the direction his younger brother was pointing in. His own eyes widened.

The back door was open, swinging without a care in the world.

"D-Didn't England say that he locked that door aru?" Japan nodded slowly, breathing becoming heavy. The lightning outside crashed, making both of them jump.

"L-Let's get the flashlights and return quickly," the Japanese man said, shaking his head. The image of a hooded figure and bloody hands came into his mind before vanishing.

"England said the closet closest to the back door, right aru?" The two made their way to the closet. They shared a glance before China opened it.

It was a cupboard in every sense of the word; small and had several shelves. But the thing the two noticed was that it could easily fit a person or two if they were small enough. It would not be very comfortable though. They quickly grabbed the flashlights from the top shelf.

Suddenly, Japan froze. China looked over at him.

"Japan," he asked, "What is it aru?" The younger nation raised a finger to his lips. _Listen_, he mouthed. So, China did.

The back door continued to swing, creaking. The two were breathing quietly. That's when China heard it.

Footsteps. From the door that led to the hallway. The nation almost stopped breathing.

He's been around the other nations for a very long time. Over that period, he came to recognize the types of footsteps they all made. Germany's were heavy but were usually accompanied by Italy's light bouncing steps. France had a bounce as well, but it was more... China didn't know how to describe it but he would assume that the French man was sashaying wherever he was going. Japan walked quietly, much like his personality, his footsteps light. His younger brother was rather graceful and could hide his footsteps at a moments notice.

But these ones were... Foreboding. They told of death.

The siblings shared another glance.

_What should we do?_ Japan frowned at China's mouthed question, glancing again at the door that the figure was approaching. He peered around the kitchen and spotted a set of knives on the counter. He nodded towards them, before raising a hand and gesturing to the cupboard.

_We could fight, or we could hide._

China bit his lip. The footsteps continued to get louder as he thought. Then, he blew out his candle before climbing into the cupboard. Japan did the same before following, closing the door behind him.

Because of their small heights, the two nations could easily fit in the cupboard together. It was a good thing too, since just as they slipped inside, the door to the kitchen opened and the footsteps entered the room. They kept their breathing soft, hearts thumping erratically. Then, as soon as the footsteps arrived, they disappeared, leaving the room. The two sighed in relief.

They stayed there for a moment longer, just to make sure before climbing out.

"What was that aru?" Japan shook his head at his older brother's question.

"Let's return to the others," he said, raising the flashlights, "since we have what we need now." China nodded in agreement. He then looked back at the counter. The knives were gone. Both grimly noticed this.

"We need to warn them all." Japan nodded in agreement. China went and rummaged in one of the cabinets and pulled out a steel pot. Japan winced in remembrance of the times that his older brother used a similar pan against him and the other Axis powers. However, China was still peering into the cabinet. He looked confused.

"China-san," Japan asked, "What is it?" The older nation reached once more into the cabinet and pulled out another item. Japan's eyes widened. It was one of his katanas. What was that doing here? The siblings shared another glance. They could figure that out later.

Swiftly, the two hurried back down the hallway they came from. Upon reaching the dinning room however, they froze.

Everyone was gone.

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 30 XXXX_

_Loop #Unknown_

_England's mansion is huge. That's the only thing I have to say._

_We've been here before, though not as often as I like. It has two libraries and several floors to hide on. I always preferred England's mansion, when it came to hiding at least. But there was one problem._

_Even when the murderer is chasing us, we can still get lost and end up splitting up. Germany and Prussia ran up the stairs, quickly followed by France, England, Italy, and myself. I saw Italy run up to the third floor before I hid inside a hallway cupboard and started writing. _

_I wonder where Japan and China are..._


	5. Search

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 30 XXXX_

_Loop #36_

_I just realized something. Something very important. _

_In every house we go to, there's something different. It's still a murderer, I know that for sure. But there's something else... _

_I think it was Germany and Prussia's house that I first noticed it. When the rain started, I took a look out the window and saw a dog. At first, I just assumed that it was one of Germany's. But it was standing on its hind legs... And its grin was... And i-it had _human_ hands... Bloody hands... I-I don't like remembering it!_

_Something different each time... I'll make a list._

_Germany/Prussia - Dog/Man _

_Italy - Ghost Priest (That's what America called it)_

_Japan - Unsure_

_England - Stone Angel (From the fountain in his backyard...)_

_France - Mannequins (I believe he has a room full of them) _

_China - Unsure_

_Russia - Unsure_

_America - Hooded Ghost (I couldn't quite tell...)_

_Canada - Unsure_

_I don't know if the real culprit is even among them... And..._

_... Their horrifying grins make me want to hide behind some of the others..._

* * *

"T-This is bad aru," China exclaimed, eyes wide. Japan could see his brother's hands shaking uncontrollably.

The dining room was in shambles from where their flashlights shone. There were chairs toppled over and there seemed to be a cold breeze. The candles had gone out, the only light coming from where they were. However, it didn't scare them as much as the spots of blood that Japan had discovered. The door out into the hall was open.

"China-san," Japan placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, "We have to stay calm." The older nation whipped around to him.

"Stay calm? Stay calm?! How can we stay calm?!" Japan quickly shushed him, glancing towards the door as if something would come through at any second. China's shaking had increased tenfold, causing him to drop his pan and the flashlights he was holding onto the ground. The sound of them landing was muffled by the carpeted floor, much to Japan's relief.

"How can we stay calm," China whispered, his hands grabbing onto the sides of his head, "When there's something in here with us? How can we stay calm when _that thing_, whatever it is, might be _hunting_ us?" Japan grabbed onto China's shoulders, dropping the flashlights he was carrying. He looked into his brother's eyes as best he could in the dim light.

"We have to try," he said quietly, "We are nations. This is not something that we're used to, but we have to try. Now, take deep breaths." So China did, gulping in the air.

They stood like that for what seemed like eternity. The lightning from outside flashed, illuminating the room. Finally, China stopped shaking.

"I-I'm sorry for losing it like that aru," he mumbled, looking down to the ground, his arms dropping back to his sides. Japan squeezed the other Asian's shoulders before letting go.

"It's alright, China-san," the Japanese man replied. The two then bent down and picked up the dropped flashlights. Japan's katana was strapped to his back, ready for use. China took the flashlights that the two weren't using and put them into his straw backpack that was sitting in the corner of the room. He held onto his pan. Japan could see how white his knuckles were, even in the dark.

"What's the plan aru?" Japan glanced towards the open hallway door once more.

"I believe," he began, "That it would be best if we search for the others. If we regroup, then we have more minds to bounce ideas off of." At this, China nodded slowly.

"T-Then," the Chinese man said quietly, "Would it be best if we... Split up? We'd be able to cover more ground that way." Japan thought about it for a second. A wave of dread crept up his spine as he considered the idea, the bluish figure of a bloody ghost coming to mind.

"No," he shook his head, clearing the image away, "L-Let's stick together."

"More people means a bigger target though," China pointed out.

"I have this feeling...," Japan explained, shaking his head once more. Images of terrifying ghouls came into his mind. China raised an eyebrow.

"Like the one I had earlier aru?" Japan nodded. The two fell silent, gulping.

"Let's follow our instincts then aru," China said quickly. Once more, Japan nodded.

Together, the two left the dining room and began their search.

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 30 XXXX_

_Loop #Unknown_

_I left the closet I had been hiding in once I found that the coast was clear and began my search for the others. America and Russia were behind me and Italy, but I didn't hear them follow us. They must still be on the first floor... Somewhere... _

_Japan and China are on the first floor too, so maybe they would find them, if... They're all still... Alive... _

_I-I have to help as best I can! So that means... Going further upstairs... _

_I have this really bad feeling..._


	6. Library

**_Disclaimer: (Completely forgot about this...) I do not own Hetalia. _**

**_Also, to Kat the Maniac and DAIrinchan, I don't mean to offend you, but I actually have no idea what you're talking about. Truth is, I'm not part of the Doctor Who fandom. I actually got the idea of the stone angel from a Creepypasta I heard about. I couldn't sleep for several days after that... *Shudders* _**

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 30 XXXX_

_Loop #41(?) _(The handwriting is messy due to the owner's shaking hand, unsure of the actual number)

_Russia and America are missing. I should have expected it, to be quite honest. _

_It's gets harder and harder to remember what is going on... Who's goes missing next? Who are we supposed to save next? Who's supposed to die next? _

_I might stop writing for the rest of this loop..._

_Cause I..._

_Cause...!_

(Blood coats the bottom of the page)

* * *

Hesitantly, Japan closed the door behind him, locking it. China glanced around the room, the light of his flashlight hovering over stacks of books and shelves. They seemed to have found some kind of library.

Much like the rest of the house, it was dark, eerily so. The two nations could see countless shelves before them, unending for they stretched out into the engulfing darkness. Cautiously, the two grabbed onto the handles of their weapons, slowly trudging forwards. As they continued, China was all too aware of the creaking of the floorboards underneath his feet, wincing every time he took a step. He had no doubt that Japan had noticed as well, such things rarely escaped his brother's constant observation after all. The tenseness in both of their shoulders never relaxed as they passed by rows upon rows of shelves stacked high enough to touch the ceiling.

The Asians had begun their search for the others by checking the doors on the first floor. Most of them were locked, much to their confusion, yet they took it in stride. The library door was the only one they could find that was open, aside from the basement. The two took one look at _that_ door and got away from it as fast as they could, shuddering and pale. Who wanted to go down there?

Japan could feel the hair on the back of his neck standing up as they continued further in. Every once in a while, the two would hear a loud noise, making them jump. He couldn't help but compare it to a horror game. A well-made, yet absolutely terrifying horror game. And he was not liking it one bit.

_Creak!_

The sound made both of them flinch, startled by the sudden noise. They fell even more silent, clicking off the light of their flashlights, China trying desperately to calm his racing heart and quieting his breathing. The only light they had was the lightning that came through one of the windows further ahead, illuminating the book shelves for mere seconds before it faded to blackness once more. Japan glanced worriedly over at his brother, who was shaking uncontrollably.

The elder nation was frightened. "Scared shitless" would have been America's description, though the blond wouldn't have been much better. Japan had known for a long time that his brother hated the dark with a burning passion. The dark simply felt like it was suffocating him, holding him as a prisoner in a cage with no bars. Maybe it was the fact that sometime during world war 2, America had had the Allies watch horror movies with him, much to their dismay (in China's case) or confusion (in just about everyone else's). The Asian had been mentally scarred, cursing his long, immortal life. Japan only found out about this phobia because of the time he found China curled up in the corner of his own home, refusing to even open his eyes. That had _not_ been a good day.

"_!_" The sound of something falling onto the ground startled the Japanese man out of his thoughts. China had flinched, covering the scream that came from his lips with his long sleeves. A book had fallen onto the floor at their feet.

Slowly, with only the flash of lightning from the window as his guide, Japan picked up the book and opened it. On the first page he turned to, the nation found a feather stuck between the thick material. He pulled it out, examining it, before putting it into his pocket. Then, feeling a strange compulsion to read the page, Japan turned on his flashlight.

He never got the chance to start the paragraph, however. For the sight before him made the Japanese man freeze in his spot.

There was something behind China.

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 30 XXXX_

_Loop #41, as of the last entry_

_The last entry of this book made me worry. I don't recognize the handwriting. And the blood..._

_But the person who had this book before... I couldn't tell who it was. It was too dark to see. But I don't really think any light would have made a difference. From the amount of liquid at my feet as well as the dark lumps that I can see from where I stand now, I probably wouldn't have been able to recognize the person since there weren't many remains left. That's worrying._

_Judging from previous entries, we've done this before. _

_Whoever the writer was, I applaud his efforts to save us all. But he should have asked for help. He should have..._

_He should have...!_

_..._

_But it's too late now. I'll just have to finish what he started then._


	7. Clown

_**Whoever said that it was Japan who has the journal? For all you know, it could be Russia... Or France... Or Germany... Or Italy... Shishishishishi~**_

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 30 XXXX_

_Loop #46_

_I was going over some of the older entries that the person wrote. I'm actually glad that they wrote about how to turn back time with this journal. _

_To turn back time, one must arrive in the entry hall of whoever's house we are at just as the clock strikes the twelfth hour. In addition, one must wish to desperately turn back time. It seems simple enough. He never said if the day mattered, so I suppose it doesn't. That's good._

_In that case, I suppose I'll start writing my experiences, just like the one before me._

_It's probably worth mentioning that in every loop we go through, the ones without the journal forget everything. In this loop, no one questioned why I had this book with me when we went to Russia's mansion. I suppose it has to deal with its properties. I still don't know who had it last, and they made no mention of it. I'm of the assumption that whoever began writing in here in the first place cannot remember, just like the others. _

_I hope this might give someone a clue as to what's going on._

* * *

Japan took a startled step back, dropping the book to the floor. China blinked in confusion and turned around slowly. His own eyes widened and he let out a whimper, falling to the floor and crawling away backwards towards his brother. Both were staring in horror and shock, their faces as pale as the ghost before them. But that wasn't the scary thing about it.

It was England.

The ghost was England. China continued to crawl backwards until he hit Japan's legs. Both of them were shaking.

England's ghost stared at them unblinkingly. Its pale hands were covered in red blood, just like the blood that coated where his throat would have been. The Chinese man on the floor flinched as England's ghost raised a finger to his bloody lips, gesturing for them to be quiet. He then gestured for Japan's flashlight to be turned off and hesitantly, the nation did so. The two Asians then watched as the dead apparition floated towards the back of the library. The only colour that they could distinctly make out was the red of flowing blood. Everything else was a pale, blueish glow.

China glanced up at Japan fearfully. The younger shook his head, slowly bending down beside his brother. Carefully taking the book off the ground, Japan silently took the lid off of China's bamboo basket and placed the book inside, vowing to read it later. There was a sound of another floorboard creaking, then another, and then another until finally, the two could see a silhouette of a tall figure. Slowly, it turned its head to look at them.

Lightning flashed.

China's scream would have made the glass of the windows crack if it wasn't for Japan's swiftness, the nation's hands covering his brother's mouth, muffling the noise. The Japanese man was thankful that the two were hidden in the shadows, for the thing would have seen them.

It was a clown. America had taken Japan to a carnival once and he had been to one with Italy as well. The clowns there were usually smiling and happy, making children laugh an grin. However, this clown was... Japan couldn't describe it. It frightened him. He could feel both his and China's hearts beating rapidly as the clown's glowing eyes fell on them. Then, much to his relief, it turned away, leaving back the way it came. The sound of the library door closing was the only thing that made the Asian brothers relax. Japan was glad for his quick reflexes. If he hadn't covered China's scream, it would have surely been on them in a flash.

The Japanese man slowly let go, yet kept an arm around his Chinese brother's shoulders. China was shivering, his hands clenched tightly to Japan's dark jacket, his knuckles white. He continued to stare at the spot the scary clown had just been, unmoving.

A ghostly hand was lain on his shoulder and Japan flinched, looking up at England's ghost. He was smiling, relieved. Japan sighed, returning it hesitantly. England's ghost glanced around quickly before gesturing for them to follow and drifting towards the back of the library once more. Japan helped his recovering brother up and the two slowly made their way after England's ghost.

He led them to a cupboard and nodded towards it. Japan took it as a hint and turned the handle. It was a good hiding spot, he had to admit. A large enough hideout for China to rest in. The Japanese man raised an eyebrow at the ghost, who nodded. Japan helped China sit down on the floor before looking back up at the ghost, silently asking if he could ask questions. Once more, England nodded and raised a finger to his lips again.

So, the nation took that as the go ahead that it was safe in here. It was safe enough to speak quietly so that he could get the answers he needed.

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 30 XXXX_

_Loop #52 (The writing is rushed and scrambled as if the person who wrote was running) _

_I've made a single new discovery. From the list of monsters that the last writer wrote about. _

_A clown. _

_It's chasing me. I know of a place in the mansion, a cupboard in the library. But it's not safe, cause I won't be able to get inside in time, I know this. _

_I'll surely die here, I know this. _

_..._

_..._

_..._

_... But I won't die in vain. Cause I know this mansion better than everyone else, I know of more then one way to preserve my memories here. I'll be able to help still. But it'll only work when everyone else is strong enough. _

_Please, whoever finds this journal..._

_Save everyone! No matter how long or how hard it takes!_

* * *

_**I hate clowns so much... **_


	8. To be Afraid

_**I'm glad to say that a lot of you guys have figured out who our first writer was. However, I'm actually more surprised about the fact that not many people have figured out the second writer's identity just yet. I gave a **_**really**_** big hint at the end of the last chapter. **_

_**I would also really like to apologize for the lack of description when it came to the clown. I hate clowns. But in addition to that, I had recently watched a lot of horror-related youtube-gamers and such. Therefore, my mind was being all paranoid and I just couldn't bring myself to write about the clown because I was afraid of **_**something**_** happening (like it popping up behind me and such, even though it's impossible). I'll try my best to describe it better, cause trust me, you will see it again.**_

_**Please also note that the date for this time loop is marked as "XX" as stated in a previous chapter. When a journal entry has a number for its loop, then this indicates that that time loop has passed. Therefore, the last chapter and the one before that all had diary entries about **_**previous**_** time loops. **_

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 30 XXXX_

_Loop #52, according to previous records_

_It's unbelievable. This book is unbelievable. This entire situation is unbelievable! _

_I would recognize their handwriting anywhere; _(The next couple words are smudged)_. _

_Guess it's my turn to give it a shot then!_

* * *

"England-san," Japan whispered, "What happened to you?" The ghost seemed to sigh sadly, shaking his head. This brought on confusion in the Asian nation. England's ghost mimed cutting his throat. Japan continued to watch as the Brit made several more hand gestures to himself. It seemed that there was something that he wanted to get across to the Japanese man. Slowly, he came to a sort of understanding.

"Can you talk?" England shook his head. Japan frowned. This would make the situation more difficult.

"Did that monster get you?" This time, England nodded. However, the Brit then pointed to the ground beneath him and shook his head. The Asian nation was puzzled, to say the least.

_"It's clear that England was killed," _Japan thought sadly, _"However... He then shook his head, contradicting himself. What is he trying to tell me?" _The nation began to ponder what the deceased nation was trying to get across to him. He sat down onto the floor of the cupboard beside China, who seemed to have calmed down enough and was watching the two interact.

The Chinese man could tell that something was up. An idea came to him.

"You were killed," he murmured, making Japan jerk his head towards him in surprise, "Yet, you were not killed." The ghost nodded, smiling. He gestured for China to continue.

"You were killed, yet not killed... in this place?" England shook his head, though he seemed slightly happier. China could feel that he was getting closer to the answer. Japan slowly nodded, understanding where his brother was coming from.

"You _were_ killed in this place," the Japanese man said, to which England nodded. He then repeated the movement from earlier, shaking his head and pointing at the board floor. They were back where they started. The nation sighed, running a hand through his hair. China groaned softly, curling up into a ball as he thought. The two stopped with their guessing to think.

"We might need more time," Japan then said quietly to England's ghost. The apparition nodded, understandingly. He then turned to float out of the cupboard. However, the dead nation looked back, pointing to China's bamboo basket, mouthing words to them.

_Read the book. _

He then disappeared through the wall. The two glanced at each other, blinking to have their eyes adjust to the darkness once more. Ghost England's glow had seemed to bring them light that they seemed to need, and now that he was gone, the black had engulfed them again. Japan laid a hand on China's shoulder to let his brother know that he was indeed still there.

"Are you feeling alright China-san?" The older nation stayed silent before sighing.

"No aru... I feel terrible... I-I'm sorry if I'm a burden to you right now aru..." Japan could do nothing as China said this. He then gave his own sigh and turned to grope around in the darkness for the straw basket. Upon finding it, the Japanese man opened it, gently setting the lid onto the ground beside him as he began speaking quietly.

"A burden is a waste of space," he said, "something that takes up that space and uses it for its own personal gain. A burden would do anything in its power to get what it wants." At these words, China's head snapped up to look at him in shock. Still, Japan continued, meeting his brother's gaze with determination.

"_You are not a burden_. You aren't abusing the safety I'm giving you. You're afraid. But that's alright." Japan pulled the book out of the basket, opening it. This was soon followed with one of the flashlights in the basket, which the nation turned on and shined onto the opened page of the book.

"To be afraid is to be _human_. As nations, we don't normally feel like this; we don't normally realize that we actually have a lot in common with our people. Everyone is the same, no matter our roles. _You are not a burden China-san_," Japan's gaze narrowed seriously, giving his brother a hard look, "However, how you perceive yourself is what others will perceive you to be."

China stared at his brother. Then, he gave a hesitant smile, nodding. In the cupboard, the words on the book's page was as clear as day.

_To the me who finds this letter..._

_Being afraid is okay. Even the coldest and most ruthless person can be afraid. However, this fear can drive a person to do strange things. Especially when it concerns those that one cares about the most. _

It was signed in Chinese characters.

_Wang Yao_

The sound of a grandfather clock rang throughout the mansion.

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 31 XXXX  
_

_Loop #Unknown_

_I could hear the clock ring from here. It's so loud... I really hope everyone's okay._

_Cause..._

_We're now on the second day within this mansion. _


	9. Basement

_**Yes, DAIrinchan, someone else has found the book. Not for long though. This might become a recurring theme, so I suggest you remember the order of writers. It'll become important later on.  
**_

_**This chapter **_**will**_** reveal the first two writers. The third writer will be quite obvious, I hope. **_

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 31 XXXX_

_Loop #53_

_Oh my god... H-How were they able to handle this?! H-How... _

_I think I respect them a little more now... To be able to do this... To have to watch everyone die over and over again... _

_..._

_...I went over England's notes about the time travel stuff and Canada's list of monsters, and how everyone just forgets about the previous time loop. It makes sense in a way. I guess England knew that he would die some time and made it simple so that even I could understand. Man... Shit's really going down here, isn't it? _

_... _

_Oh, what the hell... I don't really have the guts for this... Not like them..._

_I'm going to leave the journal here and hope someone else finds it... Even though I want to be a hero, this is a bit too much..._

* * *

Japan rubbed his eyes, blinking rapidly. The skill that he read about in that book England's ghost told him to read had been pretty useful. It made it able for anyone to see in the dark. The nation was really glad that he and China no longer needed to use the flashlights. It gave away their position too easily and they could only see so far ahead. They kept them though, so that when they did find the others, they could read the book too.

The Japanese nation had read over the notes carefully, then read them a second time, and then a third. The skill was simple. The only part that made his brain whirr was the fact that anyone who uses it might have different abilities. For example, both of the Asian nations eyes allowed them to see in the dark. However, Japan could now also see an enemy's attack before it happened while China's punches had become lightning fast and twice as strong.

They had found out these abilities when they were attacked. It had been the clown from earlier. At the time, Japan's eyes had only glimpsed its face for a second in the library, thus he thought its features were only his imagination. However, upon seeing it with his new, enhanced vision, the Japanese man knew that it was anything but.

The clown had been taller than the two, which wasn't really surprising because they were rather short to begin with (They had to look up just to talk to another non-Asian nation). In fact, they actually thought it was Russia at first because it seemed to be the same height as their fellow. Because of this fact, China had called out to it. This got the monster's attention and it attacked them.

In addition to its height, its head was abnormally large, almost thrice the size of its body and a grin that stretched to its ears, the area around it and its eyes smeared in red liquid (Japan had hoped that it wasn't blood). Its hands were just as big, trying to grab China after it seemed to teleport to be right in front of them. Luckily, because of Japan's new ability (Which he jokingly called Hyper Intuition), he was able to block the attack. This prompted China to panic ever so slightly and the older nation threw a punch. Japan moved out of the way just in time for the punch to connect with the monster's grinning face and sending it flying and hitting the wall. Which was at least 50 meters away from them. They took that opportunity to make a run for it.

Which leads to where they are now. The two had found a bathroom earlier while on this floor (the first floor, since they hadn't checked out the entire area) and slipped in to hide. There was a cabinet under the sink, which both of them could surprisingly fit inside ("That cabinet is pretty small aru." "Indeed." "For some reason aru, I feel like both of us would be able to fit." "?! Really?!" "It's just a feeling." "... No comment."). It was weird, but they weren't really complaining. Hiding from certain death and all, you know?

"Do you think it's safe to come out aru?" Japan turned to China, nodding slowly.

"I believe so," he replied, "Nothing has come in here after all." At this, China bit his lip. He then reached over to push open the cabinet door as quietly as he could before climbing out. After assessing that the hallway was clear of all clowns and/or unnatural things, they continued investigating.

* * *

"I'm getting really hungry."

A sigh.

"Unfortunately, I do not have any food with me comrade."

"I-I don't want any of your food, commi bastard! Even _if_ you had it with you!"

A laugh.

"My, my, Amerika! You seem to be feeling better already!"

America growled at his cellmate. Russia gave his normal, unnerving smile, before turning to the bars of the locked door they were in once more.

"I don't think I'll be able to open this so easily...," the Russian mused. Once more, America scowled.

"Let me try," he said, standing and making his way over, "I don't want to spend too much time in here with you." Russia laughed again in response. Before America could try his luck on the locked door, the two were forced to pause as they heard the sound of feet along the hallway.

"Hmm," Russia murmured, tapping his chin, "I wonder what that could be."

"M-Maybe it's someone who can open this door," America exclaimed. He pushed his head closer to the door's barred window in an attempt to peer out into the black hallway. Suddenly, a face popped up. America cried out, startled, falling back onto the floor. Russia's smile vanished, his eyes narrowing.

The thing at the window of the door was a mannequin. It was bronze-like in colour and had no facial features except for a creepy smile. It grabbed onto the bars of the window and began to shake the door in a brazen attempt to break in. America crawled back, still slightly shaken at the sudden jumpscare. Russia's grip on his pipe tightened. Finally, the mannequin gave up, turning around and leaving. The two were silent except for the loud sound of their beating hearts.

"I-I guess we were lucky in a way," America then said, shuddering, "Thank God that door got jammed."

"It is good that we're safe for now," Russia agreed, "But it won't be long before one successfully gets in." At this, both grimly stare at the door.

"L-Let's just get these lights on," America said, standing. Russia nodded in agreement and the two turned to look at the electrical box in the large cell of the basement. Time to get to work.

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Jan. 4 XXXX_

_Time Loop #53_

_I found this journal just recently. It's quite interesting actually. _

_I suppose what England and Canada did can be considered quite heroic, if the person who last wrote here was anything to go by. I have a feeling about who that is, in all honesty. _

_This "time loop" was rather hectic, if what they wrote is true. America died earlier, quite messy I have to say, soon followed by England. That Brit took that monster that was chasing him down along with the rest of the fourth floor in one huge spell. Impressive. I suppose that's one of the reas... _(The next few lines are smeared)

_Guess I better get to the front door. It's almost midnight._


	10. Germany

_**I have to agree DAIrinchan; Mannequins are some of the most horrible things in life. I literally keep one eye trained on them whenever my family goes shopping! Btw, Stargirl247? I re-read your review and I couldn't help but notice that you called America an "it". Typo? Anyway, I laughed really hard at that. *Winks* **_

_**Also, I **_**might**_** give a hint to the fourth writer in this one. Keep all eyes trained on that! It should be really really obvious! **_

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 31 XXXX _

_Time Loop #69_

_This entire situation is starting to get rather annoying. But I couldn't help but notice that over the course of my time with this journal, everyone seems to be acting slightly different. _

_England seems more out of it; almost as if he is scanning with his magic powers for something, even when the massacres haven't started. America has stopped yelling about how he's a hero, being more serious about things. When he does say something related to that, it's strained. China is very paranoid; I tapped him on the shoulder earlier and he would have punched me if I hadn't dodged. Japan also seems paranoid; I saw his eyes constantly shifting towards the katana that he has on his wall. There are a few other things that seem worth mentioning, like how Germany always pauses and looks around a corner before continuing or how Italy seems to stand further from the group, ready to run at any time. _

_I am getting rather tired of this. I was really looking forward to watching Yulia Lipnitskaya compete in this year's Olympics for me. It would have been fun to watch her pound the other athletes into dust for her country!_

* * *

China cautiously peered around the corner, eyes narrowed in expectation of _something_. Seeing it clear, he turned and nodded to Japan before taking a step out into the open. The two raised their weapons and walked as silently as they could along the quiet floor.

The basement was the only thing that they hadn't checked on the first floor. However, since both of them didn't really feel comfortable going down there just yet, they decided to take their chances with the second floor first. With that said, China led the way as they patrolled around in search of any of their fellow nations.

Japan stopped when China raised a hand and he copied his brother's actions of pressing against the wall just as something came around the corner. Their breathing stilled as a giant stone angel walked past them. It was dripping water onto the ground and its wings were spread out behind it threateningly. A grin was present on its face and in its hands was a gigantic, sharp scythe. As it turned and stopped at the top of the stairs where they had just been, China quickly pulled Japan around the corner and into a room, locking the door behind them. The two both let out a breath of relief.

"It was dripping water," Japan whispered, taking into account that the angel could probably hear them if they spoke too loud. China's hand came up to tap his chin.

"Maybe it came from outside?" At this, Japan froze. The door in the kitchen came into his mind.

"From the open door in the kitchen perhaps?" China shuddered.

"I really hope not aru..." As Japan thought about it, he came to a realization. The door led to the garden in the backyard. He had been to England's mansion before and the European nation had a beautiful garden. And there was a fountain. With a stone angel...

The two both shook their heads, glancing around the room. It appeared to be a guest room of sorts. Yet... There appeared to be something in the corner by the bed... China flinched as it moved, grabbing onto Japan's arm.

"Who's there?" The two Asian nations let out breaths of relief once more. It was Germany.

"It's Japan and China," the Japanese man said. They heard Germany sigh. He stood up from the corner and started to make his way over to them only to crash into the bed frame. The two brothers forgot; Germany couldn't see in the dark like they could. They all froze as the sound echoed throughout the room, no doubt being heard by the angel out in the hall. Indeed; the angel heard. The sound of it making its way towards the room made them spring into action.

"_Hide_," Germany hissed, diving back into the corner and disappearing under the bed. Japan and China turned to each other in shock before flying to other sides of the room. Japan opened the closet, managing to squeeze inside. China ended up climbing to the top of the bookshelf in the corner, trying desperately to be as small as possible. The door banged open and all three of them held their breaths as the angel's eyes scanned the room.

China was shaking as the angel began to make its way towards the bookshelf. _'Oh my god,'_ he thought, _'Did it see me?'_ He stopped breathing entirely as it halted at the bottom and stared up. He felt like it was staring into his soul, its piercing, lifeless stone eyes glaring at him in an expression akin to amusement, its grin seeming to widen. But it then turned around and left the room.

When they were sure that the angel was gone, the three came out of hiding. China was shivering, his eyes wide, his arms wrapping around himself protectively, and his breathing coming in shaky gasps. Japan quickly moved over to him, telling Germany to not move, and helped China to the bed.

"That was too close," Germany said. Turning to look in the direction China was, he frowned.

"What's wrong China?" Japan's gaze turned from rummaging in China's basket to Germany.

"He's having a panic attack," he replied, "I think the angel almost found him." The German gave a thoughtful hum as he sat on the bed. Japan turned on a flashlight that he pulled out of the basket and handed it to the nation. He then pulled out the book and gave that to his fellow as well.

"Read that book," Japan said seriously, "It's what helped us see without the flashlights."

"A technique of some sort?" At Japan's nod, Germany opened the book and began reading. Japan went to patting China's back to help his older brother get over the scare as the German nation read.

[Germany's joined the party]

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 31 XXXX_

_Loop #Unknown_

_I haven't had much luck with finding anyone just yet. I almost ran into one of the mannequins earlier, but I guess I got lucky since it didn't see me. It was pretty close though. The third floor was completely crawling with those things..._

_If only I could find the technique book! It would probably in the library on the first floor though... And since Japan and China have the flashlights and Russia and America never came up stairs, it's only good to assume that one of them have it. Crap... This just keeps getting better and better!_


	11. InSAniTy Attack

_**So... Yeah. Sorry for not updating for a while... Life's been so tiring lately. Plus there's the Olympics going on (Team Canada! Whoo!)... Speaking of which, did any of you know that the next Winter Olympics are taking place in South Korea? I was really surprised when I found out!**_

_**Note: Fourth writer will be revealed! **_

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Jan. 2 XXXX_

_T. Loop #69(?)_

_T-This is... ... _

_But... I see Russia's hand-writing in here... _

_Who are you to call _me_ paranoid? _You_ were looking over your shoulder as well! _You_ were warily distancing yourself from us! You were... Y-You were..._

_A-At least now it explains a few things... _

_I'll need to take a look around... These flashlights give us away too easily..._

* * *

The group that now consisted of three nations left the room that they had hidden in. Upon finishing the book, Germany was able to complete the technique, much to all of their relief. Both China and Japan also assumed that he had a special ability that was unique to him. Naturally, they won't know what it is until they run into a monster of some kind. None of them were too keen on that.

There was good news though. Before leaving the more or less safe room behind, Germany revealed to them that he had found a key. The nations weren't too sure where it led to, so they decided that it would be a good idea to find out.

Peering around the corner of the wall, Germany led them along the second floor to the next door within their sight. Even with their special technique, their vision had seemed to diminish. It seemed darker than the first floor, the foreboding making China shudder. Reaching the door, Japan pulled the key Germany found out of his pocket and tried it on the door as the other two stood watch. With a click, it worked. This made the Japanese man frown, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

He glanced over his shoulder to Germany, who returned his gaze with suspicion of his own. That's when China squeaked as a hand reached out of the door, grabbing onto Japan and pulling him inside. The key fell to the floor and the door slammed shut, locking. The sound echoed throughout the entire floor and soon enough, the stone angel rounded the corner. Germany scowled, pulling out his whip. China picked the key up from the floor, shoving it into his pocket before turning to face the approaching menace.

"Well," Germany muttered, "This is just _wonderful_."

* * *

Prussia breathed heavily, wiping the sweat off his forehead, pushing his back up against the door. He could hear sounds of a clawing animal behind it, feral snarls as the creature attempted to break inside. The ex-nation quickly locked the door. Even though he knew that it wouldn't do much against the monster outside (only amount of time 'til it broke the door down after all), the albino drew his sword from its sheath any way, prepared to take on the creature.

_'It was too dark up here on the third floor,'_ he thought, _'Otherwise, that _dog_ wouldn't have been able to sneak up on me! I'm the Awesome Prussia after all! Nothing is able to escape my notice!'_

The ex-nation wasn't entirely sure if it was a dog though. He had faintly been able to see human hands, but he wasn't positive if it was his imagination or not. It could be worse though. Prussia shuddered as he thought of the paintings... Poor Italy.

The scratching behind the door became harsher, making the albino tense. Any minute now...

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Jan. 3 XXXX_

_T. Loop #69_

_I found this book in Japan's library. It's quite interesting. I haven't had the chance to read it yet though._

_I really hope that it'll be useful... But then again... Japan wouldn't have it here if it wasn't. All the times I've visited... I've never seen it before. He might have gotten it just recently, but I highly doubt that._

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 30 XXXX_

_T. Loop #70_

_I found the book again. _

_The same one that was in Japan's library. I don't really understand... Did France have a copy too? It's quite odd._

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 31 XXXX_

_T. Loop #70_

_ I ended up reading the book earlier. Definitely useful. I'm glad that my intuition wasn't wrong. I tried out some of the techniques that were inside as well. I can see in the dark now. _

_I had some of the others read it and each had a different ability that came along with it. We're able to fight back now with much more strength than before! _

_However... _

_There are side effects..._

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 31 XXXX_

_T. Loop #82_

_I should have been more careful... _

_... I should have read the book more carefully..._

_But..._

_... At least..._

_Japan..._

_Is..._

_..._

_... ..._

_..._

_Who was I writing about again?_

* * *

(Everything in this entry is written in blood)

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 31 XXXX_

_T. Loop#82_

_InSaNE_

_Am I GoING inSAne? _

_WhO aM i? WhAT HavE i BeEN DOinG?_

_CrAZYgoIngiNsaNE WhATisGoiNGoN NoiDEA ThEReiSNothINGAnYMOre WhOaMi WHaTisLIfe wHOaREYoU wHAtAmI IwIlLkIlLEveRYONe MeaNinGleSSLiFEis UseLESSAlwaYSUSelesS_


	12. Battle

**_Shishishi~ Well then, I'm glad! Confusion is what I was aiming for! *Winks*_**

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Jan. 1 XXXX_

_Loop #82_

_Oh my God... _

_I-I... I can't believe that I forgot all of this! _

_..._

_Looking back on it, I do remember... But... They're just... Flashes of sorts. Memories? I'm not too sure. _

_I don't know who wrote in this diary last; the writing was unfamiliar. But now I know... I wrote in it first. Then, England picked it up, soon followed by America and Russia. The final writer... Seems to have a found a book of sorts that is able to give us abilities, seeing in the dark being one of them. I suppose I'll have to check the library. It would have helped if they had given the title..._

_Aside from that, judging from the final entry... Things might just get even more complicated._

* * *

China's breathing was heavy as he stared into the grinning face of the stone angel. Beside him, Germany was scowling, his grip on the whip in his hands tightening.

"W-We have to help Japan aru," China said, glancing to the other nation.

"That is true," Germany agreed, "However... We must deal with this _thing_ first." The Asian nation swallowed the bile and fright before nodding. Before them, the angel's grin seemed to widen at the Chinese man's fear. It's scythe glittered in the darkness, though the older nation thought that it was just his imagination.

For a moment, the three were at a standstill, waiting for someone to make a move. Then finally, the angel let out a unearthly screech, its wings beginning to flap. Large gusts of wind threatened to knock the two nations over, yet they held their ground, gritting their teeth. The angel seemed to start flying, its wings holding it in the air, and then with a strong push, it zoomed towards them at breakneck speed.

China and Germany dove out of the way as it flew overhead. The German's eyes narrowed as it came around for another pass. He snapped his whip towards the monster, fully intent to hit it. Yet the creature just rolled out of the way before turning its sights on China. The Asian squeaked as it came towards him, scythe raised. He barely managed to block the attack with his wok, and even then, the force behind the swipe made him stumble.

Germany snapped his whip, the rope somehow managing to wrap around the angel's neck. The nation then pulled as hard as he could. The angel made a strangled sound before its grin seemed to widen even more. China shuddered in fear as the smile reached its ears, the tips cracking.

The statue (or it should have been) turned around and flew straight at Germany, who didn't expect the sudden change in opponents. He barely ducked, the monster swooping over his head. The whip fell into a tangled mess onto the floor as the creature landed further down the hall and turned around. It raised its scythe, the weapon twirling rapidly. The two nations raised their own weapons in preparation.

"We don't have time for this," Germany murmured. China nodded in agreement.

"Japan won't be able to wait forever. We need to hurry aru."

* * *

He opened his eyes.

Japan found himself staring at the ceiling. Well, he assumed that it was the ceiling. It was so dark, that he couldn't truly tell.

_'That's odd,'_ he thought, _'I'm positive that I'm still using the technique.'_ Before he could start questioning it even further, the Asian nation blinked in surprise as a light appeared ahead of him.

_'What is that?'_ Curiously, the Japanese man began making his way towards it.

He regretted doing so not very soon afterwards.

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 31 XXXX_

_Loop #Unknown_

_Damn these mannequins... Where do they all come from? I could have sworn that there were less of them last time..._

_I literally ran into Italy just a few minutes ago. He was shaking and couldn't form two sentences together. But the thing is... is that he wasn't crying for Germany. And when I told him that his shoelaces were untied, he tied them himself! _By himself_! I think I'm starting to get what Russia was talking about... About how we have changed over the course of these events. It's strange, to say the least._

_Then there was the dog-man... Don't even get me started on that! We barely managed to escape its notice. I bet it would have smelled us if it wasn't so preoccupied with that door. I think someone was inside. Italy wanted to help. We were about to try to get the dog-man's attention, but the mannequins came back. Along with the paintings._

_I don't think I mentioned the paintings before, have I? They're paintings of skeletons or zombies or even animals. The artist painted just the top parts of their bodies. Its quite frightening though because the creature inside is literally _dragging itself down the hallway and their upper bodies are outside of their frames_. And their grins... Their grins are just like every other monster that we've encountered in this place._

_Italy and I are currently hiding inside a cupboard under the next flight of stairs. I assume that someone is on the next floor, but we won't be able to move any time soon what with the patrolling paintings and mannequins._

_Like I said. Quite frightening._


	13. Dream or Memory?

Japan didn't know what it was.

A dream?

Or...

... A memory?

* * *

_The maniacal grin that covered his older brother's face made the nation shudder. _

_"Why China-san? Why did you...," the words died in his throat as China started giggling. _

_"It's so pretty and red," the older nation exclaimed, "Pretty red, pretty red, such a pretty, pretty colour! Did I ever tell you that it's my favourite? Cause I love~ red!" Japan glanced at the floor. _

_Bodies and limbs were strewn all around and blood covered the walls of the kitchen. The Asian nation couldn't help but feel sick, gulping to keep the bile from coming up. He looked back up at China, the nation simply grinning and laughing, rubbing his bloody hands together and admiring the red that coated it._

* * *

_Japan couldn't remember when it started. Maybe it began when someone (he couldn't remember who) found a book. He had told them, rather excitedly actually, that it could help them see in the dark. It seemed too good to be true._

_And indeed, it was._

_Everyone began acting strangely after they used the book. Japan could clearly remember when the first, England, snapped. There was a lot of blood after the Brit violently murdered America. They had been arguing, though he wasn't sure what about. And from there, it naturally got worse. _

_One by one... Everyone went their own ways, to try to get out on their own. Some teamed up, like Germany, Prussia, and Italy or China and Russia. But it seemed that the monsters disappeared. The only thing keeping them from getting out was... _

_Was..._

_Themselves._

_Japan could clearly remember being chased by England of all people. Then... _Something_ happened and a rope came out of nowhere, wrapping around the Brit's neck and pulling, pulling him off the banister and choking him to death. And Japan couldn't do anything except stare in shock and despair. _

_He blacked out._

* * *

_Japan choked back tears as he stared in absolute horror._

_Before him was Italy. The Italian seemed to be staring at nothing. However, it was clear what had caused the other nation to have this kind of reaction. Germany... Germany was...!_

* * *

_He didn't know what to do anymore. _

_Japan didn't know anything anymore._

_All he could see was his older brother, his _dead_ older brother lying on the kitchen table. Blood was dripping onto the floor from where his leg and his arm had once been. Blood flowed out from the hole in his stomach, it flowed from the slash made on his neck, it flowed from the hole that had been the location of his left eye. _

_He couldn't help it. _

_Japan shut down completely._

* * *

_"Japan!"_

_No response._

_"Japan, please wake up!" _

_With a gasp, the nation's eyes flew open. He found himself lying on the floor of a dark room, with Germany and China hovering over him. The two had expressions of concern (or in China's case, utter panic) adorning their features. His brother's expression turned to one of relief and he hugged Japan tightly, sobs falling down his cheeks._

_They were fine..._

_They were completely fine..._

_Japan was relieved, sighing as he closed his eyes. _

_China and Germany exchanged glances before grinning, the unnerving smiles growing to stretch from ear to ear. China raised a knife and brought it down-_

* * *

"JAPAN!"

The slap woke him up. His eyes flew open to meet another pair of brown orbs and he gasped, backpedaling away quickly. China reached out to him, concern etched on his face.

"Japan," a voice said making him turn his head in surprise, "Are you alright?" Germany took a step forwards as he let his guard down.

"I-I don't know...," Japan shook his head, his breathing heavy. His head fell down into his hands.

China and Germany exchanged a glance. It seemed that something had happened when they were fighting the angel. And it seems that Japan had taken the full brunt of it.


	14. Crash

_**Ha! I have to admit that is a pretty good guess, TheEmbergirl. Not correct, but pretty good try anyways. In fact, the truth is is that I haven't gotten that far ahead in the planning of this story. You've given me something to think about.**_

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Jan. 4 XXXX_

_Loop #76(Of what?)_

_That's odd._

_I found this notebook on the floor of this bathroom and am not entirely sure what it is. I tried reading it, but I can't. There are several different writings styles, in many different languages. I recognize the English; England, America, and someone else. There's also Russian in here, which I find quite strange. _

_But then..._

_There's also some characters that I'm familiar with... I could have sworn I've seen them before, but I can't remember where. _

_..._

_There are some footsteps outside. I must_

(The entry is incomplete but it is to assume that the person who was writing had just been murdered, if the blood on the page was any indication.)

* * *

China took a nervous look back at his younger brother, the nation being helped by Germany as they carefully traveled down the hallway. The younger Asian had a blank expression on his face, one of which China didn't like compared to the horrified look his brother had when he had woken from his dream. At least, that's what China wanted to believe.

Japan hadn't said a word about it no matter how much the two had prompted. However, when asked about the hand that had grabbed him, the Japanese man had jerked up and said that _there was no hand_. Something just pulled him inside. China shuddered at the thought. Something just pulling his brother inside? He could have sworn that he had seen a hand. A ghostly blue hand... Much like the England in the library.

This made China want to stop and think and pursue this theory. But stopping in the hall wouldn't be such a good idea, especially what with the monsters running around. Speaking of monsters, Germany had been the one to deliver the finishing blow to the stone angel from earlier. He had given a roar as he jumped into the air, raising his whip and slamming it down upon the angel's head. It gave a loud shriek as _electricity_ of all things came from Germany's whip before crumbling to the ground like a broken doll. The pieces had then disappeared.

It was quite strange now that he thought about it. But the Chinese man could not forget the encounter so easily. The angel had given him a look of absolute fury as it vanished and he still shivered in remembrance.

Suddenly, he was snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of a loud crash that came from the floor below, jumping and stumbling backwards right into his German ally. The other nation had a similar reaction, however he covered it up much quicker, grip on Japan tightening ever so slightly. The Japanese nation himself had flinched, eyes narrowing. The trio stood stock still, breathing heavily as the shock slowly went away.

"What was that aru?" China's voice was soft as his eyes glinted around in search of enemies.

"I think it came from downstairs," Germany replied. Japan glanced towards the staircase.

"Should we check it out," he asked. The other two shared a look.

"We might not have another opportunity," Japan continued. His allies remained silent, a mental conversation occurring, with China glaring and Germany glaring right back. Finally, the oldest nation sighed. Germany then nodded and led the two towards the stairs to the first floor.

As they slowly made their way down, China couldn't help but think that this might be a bad idea. Who knew what they would find?

Once their feet stopped on the first floor, they began their search for the strange crash. There were a lot of locked doors still, so naturally, they had to skip those. China also had Germany skip the basement door, even if it was open. But it wouldn't have been possible for a noise that far down underground to reach them on the second floor anyway. They also skipped the library, under Japan's instruction since he really didn't want to see England's ghost again just yet. Bad memories and all.

Therefore, the only place that they could check were the dining room and the kitchen. Upon reaching the dining room, the trio had made a quick u-turn to find the other entrance to the kitchen in hopes to avoid the clown that was inside. It took a while and a lot of split second decisions but they finally did it. Yet just as they opened the door, China couldn't help but feel that he really didn't want to see what was inside.

And he was right.

Cause sitting on the table with blood pooling at his feet, was himself. Well, a ghost of himself.


	15. Kitchen Ghost

"W-What is that?" Japan couldn't even respond to Germany's question.

There he was. Just like in his dream. '_Yet,'_ Japan thought, turning towards the living and breathing China beside him, _'He's right here...' _

The nation himself had gone as pale as a ghost (no pun intended), breath catching in his throat as he stared at the pale blue image of himself. Germany narrowed his eyes at the two Asians reactions before he returned his gaze to the ghost sitting on the table.

China's ghost had a dazed look in its eyes as it stared at the distant wall before it turned its head towards them. From what Germany could see, the ghost was missing a foot as well as part of its left arm. Its remaining arm had no hand and its placement made the nation wonder. Though, now that he thought about it, the stump seemed to be trying to stop the blood that had been sprouting from the wound when it was alive. As he looked closer, Germany could make out that the dead nation was missing his left eye, though since his bangs were in the way, he couldn't truly tell. But what made him wonder the most about would be the blood.

Blood seeped down from the ghost's wounds as if he were alive, coming into a puddle on the floor.

China's ghost stared at them, meeting Germany's steady gaze before closing his remaining eye. With a nod of his head, he turned to the wall once more. Suspiciously, the European nation slowly led the other two into the kitchen, China (the alive one, not the ghost) closing the door behind them and locking it.

Upon helping Japan sit down on one of the stools at the counter, Germany glanced around the room. China sat down next to his brother, turning to examine his ghost carefully. It then turned its head towards them, making the nation flinch. Staring right at them, the ghost frowned.

China slowly turned to follow its gaze toward the younger nation sitting beside him. Japan was simply staring at the ghost on the table, not even batting an eye as a silent staring contest continued. China frowned. He placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. The nation in reply turned his head to face him, a haunted look in his eyes that quickly vanished in a second.

"Are you alright Japan?" The Japanese man blinked before giving a nod.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine China-san...," the younger nation replied quietly. China frowned, yet didn't say anything as he waited for his brother to speak once more.

"China-san?" Japan had turned his gaze to the floor, his expression returning to the haunted one of before.

"What is it aru?" The younger of the two fell silent. China was patient though, waiting for his brother to find the right words to voice his question in.

"How are you so... Calm right now?" Japan gestured to the ghost that was watching their discussion curiously.

"A dead ghost of you is sitting right over there," he continued, "Yet you are not 'freaking out', as America-san would say." As Japan finished, he stared at his brother, waiting for an answer. The ghost on the table seemed to want to hear it too, for it hadn't taken its eyes off of them for the past couple of minutes. China tapped his chin, looking up at the ceiling in thought.

"I honestly don't know how to answer that Japan," he then said, "I guess the best way for me to explain it would be that it's almost as if I'm looking into a mirror and seeing how I'm supposed to be right now; calm, collected, and focused on getting everyone together." The two snapped their heads towards the table where the ghost was sitting to see the ghost smiling. The ghost then began laughing yet no sound passed its lips.

"Japan, China." The two then looked over to Germany, who had returned. He held something in his hand.

"What is it," Japan asked, standing from his chair.

"I think it might be a plate shard," Germany replied, handing the ceramic piece to the other, "It seemed to have fallen from the top shelf in the closet." At this, China's eyes lit up.

"Do you think that that the noise we heard earlier was the plate breaking aru?" Japan and Germany shared a glance before the European nation nodded.

"Though it baffles me why we could hear it from upstairs," Germany added with a frown, "It's honestly quite suspicious."

The three fell silent as they thought this over then, as one, they all turned to look at China's ghost, which was watching them with an amused expression on its face.

"China-san," Japan said to the ghost, "Did you happen to see who made the plate break?" The ghost shrugged before he began to make several gestures with his hands. They were quick and sharp as he seemed to slice through the air, the message extremely confusing. Both Germany and Japan turned to their China, who was frowning.

"I-I'm sorry aru," the nation said, "I couldn't quite understand that." The ghost blinked, raising an eyebrow. Frowning, the ghost then turned towards the locked door that led to the hallway. Glaring intently, the other three grew slightly uncomfortable. A click came from the door, making the three jump. China's ghost's head snapped towards them and he pointed to the door that went to the dining room as he began vanishing. This time, the message was clear.

_Run!_


	16. Dark Hallway

_**Well, it's been a bit of a while, hasn't it? Really sorry for not keeping up with my usual update time guys, I've just been pretty busy lately.**_

* * *

_Diary Entry XX - Dec. 31 XXXX_

_Loop #Unknown_

_Italy and I are still in the closet. _

_We haven't had much of a chance to even move what with all the noise outside. That dog-thing from earlier? It seems to have calmed down. I really hope so, I mean. We've been sitting in here for God knows how long. Our scent should be obvious for such a creature to sniff out. But that doesn't mean that I want it to find us..._

* * *

After just barely managing to escape the clown, the trio finally came to a halt, breathing heavy. It took them a while to completely calm down, their hearts racing from the chase.

China had almost had a nervous breakdown when that clown suddenly managed to speed up, close enough to be almost able to stomp down on his head and run him over if he wasn't careful. It had somehow gotten faster and he truthfully wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for Germany grabbing onto him and pulling him. The Chinese man thanked the German with raspy breaths, the other nation simply shaking his head.

Japan, having already recovered, stood up straight and turned to look around.

Much like the rest of the house, the lights were out. However, with his eyes, the Japanese man could make out a long hallway that seemed to be slowly stooping downwards. It gave him a rather unpleasant feeling, almost like the ominous basement door... Oh.

"This," Japan shuddered, "is bad." His two companions turned to look at him before glancing around at their surroundings.

"Where are we?"

"I think we might have accidentally gone through the basement door," Japan replied. China immediately paled.

"_A-Aiyah_..." Almost in a trance, China looked around for the door. Upon finding it, the Asian grabbed onto the handle and turned the knob. Japan could vaguely see the frown on his brother's face as the older nation tried to pull the door open.

"China-san..."

"Damn it aru!" The other two nations flinched in surprise when the eldest grabbed onto the door and tried to pull it open forcefully. Germany strode forward, placing a hand on the enraged Asian's shoulder.

"Calm down China," the European nation hissed, grip tightening. The Eastern nation took a step back away from the door, once more breathing heavily. The trio fell silent except for China's shaky breathing.

"How could it have locked on us?"

Instead of responding, Germany squeezed the smaller man's shoulder before letting go and turning to the dark hallway ahead of them.

"Looks like we'll have to find another way," he said quietly. Both followed the German down into the dark depths of the basement, blank faces that they couldn't see watching them as they past.

* * *

_**Really short chapter this time. Sorry! **_


	17. Germany's Reflection

_Cold, wooden hands clamped around his throat, squeezing... Squeezing..._

_He couldn't breathe._

_It was starting to get dark... And the only thing he could see was that creepy grin..._

* * *

Germany shot up immediately, panting heavily. Sweat had accumulated on his forehead and was now slowly dripping down the sides of his face. The nation tried his best to calm down once he recognized his surroundings.

The trio of nations had seemingly managed to find a safe room for them to sleep in. To be honest, Germany didn't quite think it was as _safe_ as the other two thought, yet he let it slide just this once. It was probably due to the fact that he was tired and wanted to rest. Though, he couldn't help but think that maybe they should have taken turns in keeping watch that night. Was it even night? He could remember vaguely hearing the sound of a grandfather clock...

There was a shift of movement on the other side of the room and Germany's head snapped towards it. It was simply China shifting in his sleep. The European nation could see a frown present on his fellow's face. He sighed.

_'Maybe I'm just being paranoid,'_ he thought to himself, rubbing his forehead of the sweat.

Things had been hectic lately. He could clearly remember the time when a strange clown had come into the dining room, killing intent apparent. Germany hated anything that was supernatural. He was up and out of that room before you could say 'run'. He wasn't proud of leaving anyone behind, but once he heard their footsteps, he was slightly relieved. Prussia had called out to him, pointing to the stairs leading to the second floor. Germany followed his brother after looking behind himself once.

He didn't have any of these powers to see anything at the time. However, he could hear the sound of Italy's frightened screaming getting closer. Germany called out to Italy and then told him exactly where he was going. Italy responded by almost crashing into him and Germany grabbed his friend's hand and pulled him up the stairs.

They were soon separated however by strange paintings hopping off the walls and making their way towards them. Germany could then remember Prussia grabbing Italy and yelling at him to run. So run he did.

The European nation had run and hid in a guest bedroom that was on the second floor, without Prussia or Italy. He worried. But then reassured himself that they were okay. This process repeated several times before he had the courage to stand. He was going to look for them.

However, he flinched and backed down when the door of the room opened. He could hear muffled voices and asked who it was. Japan and China was the answer, and the German breathed a sigh of relief that they were alright. He had tried to stand but ended up hitting into the side of the bed. Something began making its way towards their room and Germany told them to hide. He had ducked under the bed and stilled his breathing. The thing moved around the room, searching, before leaving.

China's panic attack and Germany reading the book that Japan had given him gave him a sense that they were searching for the others. He was alright with that, the more people who could help them, the better. However, it would paint them as an even bigger target. In this case, Germany was stumped on what they were going to do.

Japan began to tell him what happened after they left the dining room. His fellow then seemed to realize something, then pulled out his whip from China's straw basket and handed it to him. Japan had said that Germany had forgotten it at his house and he had wanted to return it to him, but forgot. The Asian nation had then remembered after he and his brother decided to search around and put it in China's basket for safe keeping.

He then proceeded to tell Germany about the situation thus far, mainly their search of the first floor; the library, the clown (Germany stiffened in remembrance), finding the book, England's ghost (which Germany found quite interesting), as well as the angel that patrolled outside. Japan mentioned the special abilities that the book also gave them, using his Hyper Intuition (the anime loving country had smiled as he mentioned this, much to Germany's confusion) and China's Gyoza Fist (the smile widened, making Germany even more confused) as examples. It was after this that China more or less calmed down and the trio left the room.

He sighed. The situation had progressively gotten worse as they continued. He wasn't entirely sure if it was meant to, but it sure seemed that way. Like their actions were being dictated by some overseeing individual _**(Crap he's onto me!)**_. But he shook his head of these thoughts, mainly because it made his head hurt just wrapping his brain around it.

Another movement in the corner, quickly followed by a gasp. Germany snapped around.

It seemed to be a wooden doll of some kind. The German hurriedly stood, pulling out his whip. The thing had its wooden hands clamped around Japan's neck, choking his fellow nation.

With a snap of his whip, Germany coiled the weapon around the thing's neck pulling it off the smaller nation with a sharp tug. It hit the ground with a thump, waking up China.

"What's going on aru?" The nation still seemed to be half asleep. Japan was coughing, breathing in the air that he had been depraved of earlier. The thing moved, turning its head to China. Germany saw his fellow nation's eyes widen and his skin pale.

The thing moved quickly towards the Asian. Germany quickly pulled back on the whip, the doll dropping to the ground once more. As an after thought, he let the electricity cover the whip, giving the doll an insane shock and sending it reeling. It twitched before disintegrating, much like the stone angel had before.

"Are you alright Japan," he asked, reattaching the whip to his belt. With a gulp of air, Japan nodded. A hand was gently touching his neck, rubbing over the rather prominent bruise. China snapped out of his daze and made his way to Japan.

"Are you sure aru? We really should have been more careful," the eldest nation muttered, kneeling beside his brother and checking the wound. Germany watched their interaction before turning his gaze to the open door.

"It seems that it managed to get in," he said. The nation then frowned, looking back at his companions.

"Let's get moving. We don't know if there are more of those _things_." The two brothers nodded before standing.

They made their way to the door and stepped out into the hallway.


	18. Power

_Diary Entry XX - Jan. 1 XXXX_

_Loop #Unknown_

_We heard the clock earlier. _

_Italy had jumped and accidentally hit his head on one of the shelves above us when it happened. Something moved outside as we stayed as still as we could; it was really close. I could have sworn something was coming closer to us. I couldn't breathe._

_But then, there was a shout and running. And the thing outside moved away and I think it began chasing whoever it was. It sounded like France. _

_I hope he's okay. But the good news is, is that Italy and I can continue up the stairs. _

_He remembered something. There should be something upstairs. A hint, I hope. _

_Maybe it'll be able to help us get out of here._

* * *

It was a pretty dark place. The basement that is.

Japan suppressed a shudder as the trio continued down the hallway. There was no light and the only sound was their breathing, their soft footsteps, and the occasional rustle of China's basket. It was _unnerving_ to say the least.

Not only was there no sound or light, but aside from the fright earlier with the doll (Japan shivered in remembrance), there appeared to be nothing _wrong_. Nothing jumped out at them, nothing made any strange noises, nothing was out of place in any of the rooms they went into to check. But the deeper into the basement they traveled, Japan couldn't help but feel that the number of eyes watching them seemed to increase with each step they took...

Honestly, Japan was silently cursing (he would never do so out loud however; it was _indecent_!) the fact that they just _had_ to go into the basement and the door just _so happened_ to get stuck. The nation didn't believe in coincidences, but it sure seemed like it in this case.

China on the other hand was surveying the area around their small group. Their eyes could see, yet even to them, it was fairly dark. The eldest nation believed that the flashlights would have been better for this, if not for the fact that they were being hunted down by dangerous enemies that they knew nothing of. Why were they chasing them? How did they get here? Where did they come from? Why are they even _here_ of all places? He did not know.

This place not only gave him the creeps, but he could also tell that it was affecting the normally stoic Japan and the usually fearless Germany. Plus, there was that feeling of being watched that seemed to get worse the further they went, making the Chinese man become a nervous wreck and _highly_ suspicious. More so than normal.

Finally, Germany, who was leading, couldn't help but stiffen as he glanced warily around them as they continued on their way.

It was very strange and he had decided that from now on, he would make sure to lock all his doors and windows and keep the lights of his bedroom _on_ during the night. Maybe inform his people to hide their kids as well, just to be safe. You never know.

None of them had said _a word_ after leaving that room and Germany could tell that the silence was bugging all of them; especially China. The eldest nation's eyes kept flickering around them like a frightened mouse keeping a wary eye out for its stalker of a cat. The German could tell it was making the Chinese man very uncomfortable. He was like a coiled spring ready to burst.

So, the trio kept walking down the ever darkening hallway; nervous, suspicious, and ready for possible attacks.

* * *

"I think this wire might be the one!"

A sigh.

"That's what you said for the last four other wires we ended up cutting comrade."

"Hey! I don't see you trying here commie bastard!"

Another sigh.

"Very well, cut it, if you think it's the right one... (Even though every other wire you cut just made this place even _more_ darker, if that was possible...)"

"Hell yeah, I _will_ do that!"

* * *

Suddenly, the lights above them turned on, nearly blinding the trio of nations.

After recovering, the three froze in their spots.

All along the walls of the hallway were mannequins. All complete with bronze colouring and no facial features except the trademark creepy grin that every other monster they encountered had. Truthfully, even though they were _still_ quite frightening, Germany thought it was getting a bit old, sighing as he pulled out his whip. Japan and China quickly followed with their own weapons, the older of the two brothers biting his lip.

Together, the three came to a silent agreement that they were going to kill whoever turned those lights on when they found them. Even though they're thankful for the heads up, couldn't they have given them the warning sooner?

* * *

In the farthest room in the very back corner of the basement inside a jammed door, America and Russia sneezed violently.

"That was weird," the hamburger loving hero said, rubbing his nose. Russia laughed. In response America raised an eyebrow.

"I think China is currently cursing me for reasons that I don't know," the large nation explained, rubbing the back of his neck. His American comrade frowned in slight confusion.

"Why'd I sneeze then?" Russia shrugged.

"Maybe it would be best to get back to work...," he suggested. Immediately, America felt a vein pop on his forehead.

"Don't tell me what to do, you commie bastard!"

Russia laughed once more and the two got back to work on the wires to restore power to the rest of the mansion.


	19. Lights: Effects Enemies?

"Wow, I never thought that _you_ would have gotten the both of us lost _in your own mansion_."

"Well, it's not my fault that it's too bloody dark to see anything here you damn francophone!"

"That was harsh _Angleterre_, very harsh indeed."

A loud creak came from behind the duo, making both nations jump and whip around.

"What in the bloody hell was that?"

"_Angleterre_, please stop swearing!"

"Don't tell me what to do you stupid frog!"

The two fell silent as they listened to the approaching footsteps. The Brit tried his best to see whatever it was, but the darkness seemed to be sucking in the light of their candle. France suddenly whimpered.

"E-England?"

The nation turned around, thick brows furrowed in frustration.

"What is it?" England raised a thick eyebrow as France whimpered again, flailing frantically.

"G-Get it off, get it off, get it off!"

"Stay still you frog!" The European nation raised a hand, magic literally at his fingertips as he tried to aim properly at France's shaking form. Finally, England fired off a burst of electricity right past France's ear and hitting the spider beside his head. The tiny creature hit the floor with a soft thump. France let out a shriek and a slew of words in his country's national language passed his lips. England felt a vein pop. He had this _feeling_ that those words were worse than what he was saying earlier...

"You damn frog" he hissed instead, "It was just a spider!"

"Just a spider?! _Just a spider_, he says," France shrieked, "That _thing _could have crawled up my arm and into my ear and killed me!"

"You're overreacting! There is no _way_ that that is possible!"

"It _could_ happen!" As the two continued bickering, they failed to notice the looming shadow that was slowly coming towards them. A creak of the floorboards made them stop and turn towards the noise. Nothing was there that they could see, besides the closet door under the stairs.

"What was that?" England's eyes slowly glanced around them in wary observation. A hand grasped onto his arm and he turned to see France shaking and looking above them.

"E-England..." The Brit glanced above them only to see eight giant legs.

"Holy bloody hell!"

"**RUN**," France screamed, grabbing his fellow nation's hand and pulling him along behind him, the giant spider following. Their footsteps echoed throughout the mansion as they ran down the stairs to the second floor.

* * *

"How many of these are there," Germany asked, the electricity coming off his whip in waves. China ducked under a flailing mannequin arm before smacking the monster in the face with his pan. It reeled back, screeching as the Asian backed up.

"I have no idea," Japan replied, blocking another attack before spinning and slicing off the creepy thing's head off with his katana.

"They just keep coming aru!" China rushed forward with a cry, punching the closest mannequin in the face. It flew back into the pack, knocking most of them down like dominoes. No matter their efforts though, the trio didn't seem to be putting a dent in their numbers. Every time that they destroyed one, two more popped up. Slowly but surely, the numbers began to overwhelm them.

They fought for what seemed like hours before exhaustion crept up on them.

"We're completely surrounded," Japan said, breathing heavily. A hand clutched his sword arm, blood seeping through the material of his long-sleeved shirt. The other two weren't in any better condition; Germany was bleeding from a chest wound (thankfully shallow) that one of the mannequins were lucky to get in; China had blood dripping down the side of his face, a deep scratch from being thrown into the wall behind them.

The mannequins were coming closer. There were several on the ground that Japan had sliced in half, each dragging the top halves of their bodies towards them.

"This is bad," China breathed, "This is really _really_ bad aru." Germany grimaced, glaring intently at the enemy. Grinning faces were his answer.

"We will fight or die trying," the European said. The two Asian brothers nodded determinedly in response. Japan's eyes widened.

"Germany-san! Look out!"

A mannequin flew out of the crowd of its fellows, wooden hands outstretched.

* * *

"Comrade, I think I got it!"

"_Tch_, well then, try it out! Go on then!"

* * *

The lights went out around them.

"W-What happened to the lights aru?!"

"Germany-san, are you alright?"

"Yes... What about you two?"

"I'm fine aru."

"I am as well."

* * *

"Hmm... I was sure that was the right one."

"You damn commie bastard... Just put it back to the way it was!"

"_Da_, _da_, alright, alright. Here we go~"

* * *

Suddenly, the lights above them flickered on once more. The trio glanced around them, eyes getting used to the brightness once more. But the most strangest thing that seemed to have occurred was that the mannequins had vanished as if they weren't ever there in the first place.

Germany glanced around suspiciously. China slipped down onto his knees, blood loss finally getting to him. Japan knelt down beside his brother, worry creasing his brow.

"W-Where...?" It was strange indeed.

* * *

_**Sorry about not updating! My family and I went to Michigan for some shopping for the past couple days. Then on the way back, we decided to go through Sarnia and ended up stuck in a ditch because of a hell of a snow storm that just came out of nowhere. We waited for two hours, TWO HOURS I TELL YOU. Luckily enough, a nice man got us out and we ended up staying the night at my aunt and uncle's place that was like, ten minutes away. **_

_**Needless to say, it really sucked. **_

_**But well, that was my March Break in a nutshell. Yeah, not one of my best experiences. **_


	20. To Shoot or Not to Shoot

They were being even more cautious.

Germany gave a sigh, readjusting the unconscious nation on his back. Japan walked in front, katana out and ready in case something crossed their path. On his back, China had his eyes shut and the European nation carrying him could feel his warm breath on the back of his neck.

After their strange run in with the mannequins (Germany swore that he would never _ever_ see them in the same way _ever_ again), the trio had managed to walk for what seemed like ten minutes before China dropped like a stone. The bleeding from his head had more or less stopped thanks to Japan's quick medical attention. However, he had lost too much blood for him to keep moving. Therefore, Germany offered to carry the eldest nation on his back so that they could continue.

Japan came to a halt once they reached the next turn at the end of the hall and gave a quick glance around the corner. Nothing appearing out of place, the Asian gave a nod to his companion before turning and they continued on their way.

So far, the two had not seen anything out of the ordinary, aside from several flickering lights. There were multiple doors up until where they were now, three of which were already opened. Japan had thoroughly searched each and found nothing, much to both of their disappointment. All three rooms were rather dusty and didn't appear to have ever been used in a long time, a fact that Japan had pointed out and wanted to ask England if (_"no, once,"_ Germany reminded himself) they met up with him.

Their footsteps echoed throughout the corridor and the European nation pursed his lips at the sight of one final door at the end of the hall...

* * *

"Hey, commie bastard?"

Russia glance up from his work on the wires to his comrade, the loud nation seemingly quiet. The world superpower raised an eyebrow.

"What is it Amerika?" His companion slowly turned his head to look at the, still jammed, metal door. America pushed his sliding glasses up the bridge of his nose, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Amerika?"

"I thought I heard something," the hamburger-loving nation said quietly, effectively shutting Russia up. Both turned wary gazes to the door.

They waited.

* * *

"This appears to be the end of the hall, Germany-san," Japan murmured, glancing over his shoulder to the other nation. Said nation frowned, brows furrowing. The door there was just like all the others. Its only feature that seemed interesting was the barred window. Germany didn't want to know what might be inside, deciding not to get too close for the time being.

"Try to open it," he finally said. Japan nodded. The Asian nation reached a hand out to the knob and pulled. It remained shut. Once more, the Japanese man tried, pushing it instead. No change. The nation' frown deepened and he raised his katana in hopes of somehow breaking it open.

Germany knew that Japan had noticed it too. That door wasn't locked; it was jammed. The European nation was certain that with a little force, they would be able to pry it open somehow.

However, try as he might, the small yet strong Japanese man couldn't get the door to budge. He gave a final sigh, leaning on his katana for a moment before turning to Germany (the nation could have sworn that he heard Japan muttering about how he was "getting too old for this". Germany wisely decided not to comment).

"I do not think that it would be possible for me to get this open," the smaller nation said. Germany sighed. Slowly, he let China off his back and onto the floor, to which Japan quickly knelt to hold up his older brother. The European nation gave his Japanese friend a nod before turning to the door.

He cracked his knuckles and tried his own luck.

* * *

America and Russia remained quiet and as far away from the door as possible, watching as it shook from the force the thing on the other side was using. The larger of the two superpowers had a tight grip on his pipe. On the other hand, the smaller nation slowly reached into his back pocket and fingered the revolver he had.

They kept waiting, watching the shadows that danced from the lights behind the barred window as the large figure tried to push his way in. America bit his lip, pulling the gun out from his pocket. He gave a silent look to Russia.

"Should I shoot?" The whisper could only be heard by the larger nation, who in turn slowly glanced back to the door.

[What should Russia decide?]

* * *

_**Well folks, this is where you come in. **_

_**You can tell that there's a choice right here and you know exactly who is on the other side of that door. But the thing is, America and Russia don't. Who knows what might happen next? It's up to you guys to decide!** _


	21. Shoot: Or not?

"Shoot," Russia decided. America raised the revolver, taking aim at the barred window.

The two waited for another moment as the banging on the door became even more persistent.

"Any day now comrade..."

"S-Shut up! I'm trying to concentrate here! Stupid commie bastard..."

"What was that?"

"I didn't say anything!"

The rattling door finally grew still and the two froze. Their eyes never left the door and America's grip on his revolver tightened. He could shoot at any time, all he needed was for that door to open...

* * *

Germany gave a sigh, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"I don't think that I can get it open," he said to his fellow nation. When silence answered him, Germany turned around in slight confusion.

"Japan?"

What he saw made him stumble back with a surprised gasp.

* * *

"_Shit!_"

Russia and America both poked their heads up at this. Immediately, the American whipped his head to his fellow world superpower.

"That sounded like Germany," he said, snapping to his feet. Russia quickly followed, grabbing onto the other nation's wrist with a tight grip.

"It could be a trap," the larger nation said seriously. America pulled his wrist away from Russia's grasp harshly. He moved with large strides towards the door, revolver in hand and ready to shoot if need be.

"Nazi or not, I trust Germany," the nation said, hand grabbing onto the door knob, "The Hero can't let any of his friends get hurt!" He pushing on the door as hard as he could, sweat breaking out on his forehead. Russia soon got up behind him and began to help. Together the two used their combined strength to the best of their ability.

The door gave way and the light of the hallway shone on them.

* * *

_**Well, you people sure have rather interesting opinions (I'm looking right at you DAIrinchan). But the die has been cast... **_

_**Really sorry for the rather short chapter; homework just suddenly jumped on me and I have no idea where it came from. In any case, I want you people to expect more choices like these, except maybe not as obvious. Ciao ciao!  
**_


	22. Temporary Safety

_**Well Aprincessb1215, it all depends on my schedule. I don't prewrite these, I'll have you know, so I don't have a line up of several chapters to post. Thus, I do usually it on the spot (that's why it sometimes has grammatical errors or things like that). Plus, there's also if I feel like writing or not. Like I said, all depends on me. And DAIrinchan? It's okay cause Imma like that too.**_

_**...**_

_**... All the time, now that I think about it...**_

"Talking"

_"Thinking"_

_Letters/Flashbacks/Dreams_

* * *

_He breathed heavily, gripping onto the bloody stump that was once his arm. His footsteps echoed throughout the halls; though maybe that statement wasn't as accurate as he could have hoped._

_Indeed, it wasn't._

_A bloody stump was all that was left of his arm and his leg wasn't any better. In fact, his leg had been torn right off, more or less. He limped and would have tripped if he hadn't caught himself. For a second, the nation struggled to catch his breath before continuing, moving even slower than before, if that was possible. The grin that was on his face never faltered, not for a moment._

_"Japan? Japan~? Where did you go~?" He found that his mouth was running off on its own, yet he didn't dare stop it. He knew that it wouldn't work, yet his brain couldn't seem to process thoughts anymore. His instincts had taken over, emotion akin to rabid dogs pushing him to keep going, to not stop... An insane giggle passed his lips._

_He had seen many things in the span of his long life. Yet nothing could have prepared him for this, the brutal slaughter that had claimed the lives of his friends and allies._

_France, who prided his beauty above all else, had his face mauled to the point of not being recognizable._

_America had played the Hero card, shoving them all out of the cellar, the furnace inside blowing up not a few seconds later._

_Not soon after, England snapped, taking out both Russia and Germany in a rather earth shattering light show, the blast killing him as well.  
_

_Italy had been so devastated by Germany's death that he managed to sneak away and hung himself in one of the bathrooms._

_Now, it was his turn._

_What is the meaning of the word comrade? What is family? Who was his brother again? The nation didn't know._

_He opened a door and found himself in the kitchen. A clown with a familiar grin turned around. The nation gave a hysterical giggle as the monster rushed him, a large clawed hand smashing its way across his neck then through the left side of his face. The clown then made a strange clicking sound that the nation could barely register before throwing him onto the table. The sudden impact was rather strong and the nation would have felt his spine snapping if he wasn't in so much pain. The harsh treatment caused items in the room to shudder._

_The last thing he saw was the monster's grin as it left._

_The last thing he heard was a plate shattering as it fell from the closet._

_His last thought was rather morbid, but he knew that he was the one to say it._

"Do yOU wAnT tO PlAY aGaIn?"

_The journal that he had held onto dropped onto the bloody floor, waiting to be picked up by someone who wouldn't fail._

* * *

Germany gritted his teeth as he blocked the strike at his head. The mannequin's grin seemed to have gotten bigger, yet he really hoped that it was his imagination.

The nation pushed as hard as he could, throwing the nuisance back for a second before swinging his whip at it. The electricity shot through the air, hitting the creepy mannequin dead on and it turned to ashes before it even fell to the ground. Germany's head turned to the rest of the hall. Mannequins and dolls were all staring back at him, an army of nightmares ready to take him on.

The European nation knew he couldn't take them all on his own.

_"Where had they come from?"_ He thought, blocking another. _"They weren't there before..."_

The door behind him opened, distracting him. A mannequin's hand quickly wrapped itself around his throat, making him snap his attention back to the matter at hand. Black was creeping up at the edges of his vision and soon, it all went dark.

* * *

As Germany fell, Russia immediately lifted his pipe to smack the mannequin (**_that stupid son of a bitch!_**) right upside the head, effectively knocking it down. America reacted not too soon after, his pistol being raised and fired several times. One head shot, two head shot, three head shot... The mannequins and dolls began dropping like flies.

"America-san, behind you!" The nation snapped his face behind him, instinctively blocking an attack with his arm. He winced as painted doll nails pierced through his jacket (he could feel the blood, it was really warm...) before shoving it off and pointing the gun at the thing's forehead. Its head blew right off and America turned to see his Japanese friend.

"Japan," he exclaimed, rushing over to kneel beside the other nation, "You okay buddy?" The Asian man nodded, sighing.

"Yes, I'm alright," Japan replied.

"Phew~! That was rather tiring..." Came a voice from behind them. The duo turned to look at Russia who had Germany's unconscious form leaning on him.

"Thank you Russia-san, America-san," Japan said, giving a small smile, "I'm not entirely sure what would have happened if you had not shown up..." America gave a laugh.

"Any time Japan! The Hero's always willing to help," the superpower exclaimed. His tone soon quieted down however when he noticed the prone form beside his friend. "Is that guy okay?" Russia frowned.

"Is that China?" Japan winced.

"China-san should be fine," the nation said, slowly standing, "He just needs rest and better medical attention." Russia and America exchanged a look before turning back to their friend.

"Get inside then," America said, gesturing to the door behind them, "You guys can rest up and tell us what's going on in there!" Before Japan could protest, America had already carefully slung China over his shoulder and was walking to the room, Russia right behind. With a fond shake of his head, Japan soon followed.


	23. Accidents Happen

_**Well everyone, I'll have you know now that the time loops don't always start with monsters or the group being attacked. Sometimes, they start with accidents. Like someone trying to leave early.** _

"Talking"

'Thinking when in dreams or memories'

_"Thinking"_

_Letters/Flashbacks/Dreams_

* * *

"I see, I see...," America mused, tapping his chin once Japan finished explaining. Nearby, Russia was patching up both Germany and China, the former having woken up several minutes earlier. The European nation had then told his side of the story. Unfortunately, China was still out, but at least Russia's medical work patched him up to some degree. All five nations were seated on boxes, with the exception of China of course.

"So how are we going to go about doing this?" This is where Germany came in, shifting to get more comfortable.

"The first thing we need to do," the German said, "is figure out how to get out of the basement." Japan nodded in agreement.

"The door somehow got jammed behind us when we came in," the Asian nation explained to the now confused superpowers, "We couldn't get it open, so we ended up making our way down here." Russia gave one of his serene smiles.

"Maybe I should give it a shot," the largest nation said, idly fingering his pipe. America frowned.

"We won't be needing _you're_ help, commie bastard," the nation exclaimed, "I can handle it just fine!" Russia chuckled, a sound that made both Germany and Japan eye him warily.

"Of course Amerika," the ex-communist agreed, "I'm sure you _can_ handle it! I just wanted to give a helping hand. Allies, _da_?" America gritted his teeth before huffing and turning away. Japan and Germany both felt a sweat drop slide down the sides of their faces. Germany sighed, drawing their attention to him once again.

"Right now though," the nation said, "we need to rest and wait for China to wake up. With more people on our side, we'll be able to handle any enemies in our way." Japan nodded in agreement. He reached down beside him to China's straw basket, opened it, and pulled out the book on techniques.

"Once we get to the first floor," the Asian nation explained, handing it to America, "we will need that since the lights are still out." _"Or I think they are,"_ he thought. America took the book and opened it to begin reading. Russia made his way over. He sat down beside his fellow superpower and looked to his Asian ally.

"You two rest," the nation said with another of his smiles, "We'll be reading this and should be ready to go once you wake up." Japan gave a slow nod of agreement before making his way over to where Germany sat.

"Very well. We'll be over here." The nation helped his German friend lie down on the cold floor before getting comfortable himself.

* * *

Russia looked over to the sleeping trio.

"My my, those two were rather tired it seems," he observed to his companion. America snorted.

"Of course they were," the nation replied. He fell quiet before speaking once more, "They've been through a lot up til now." Russia nodded in agreement. The two then returned their attention to the book.

In his unconscious state, China's face scrunched up in a pained expression.

* * *

'Where am I?' _China thought, glancing around him. He seemed to be inside a mansion, France's, it looked like, on one of the higher stair levels. Soon, he caught sight of the others on one of the lower stair levels. Rain could be heard pouring outside. But there was something wrong... He made his way closer to see what it was. _

_"Oh my God...," he heard England murmur. The Asian nation raised an eyebrow at this statement._

"Hey guys? What's going on?" _When they didn't answer his question, he tried to draw their attention. China waved a hand in front of the nearest nation's, Italy's, eyes. When there was no reaction, the communist country frowned in thought._

'Can't they see me?' _he thought. It didn't seem so. Deciding not to think too much about it, the nation decided to see what the situation was. He moved past France and England and turned to look at scene before him. His mind shut down and horror overtook it._

_The group of nations (that is to say England, France, Italy, Germany and the China in his dream, which he found very strange) were staring in shock at the body. At the very bottom was Japan. It seemed that he had slipped on the way down. But what was the most disturbing was the fact that China could see the tip of an umbrella poking out of the back of his younger brother's neck. Blood was pooling underneath him, the shiny red liquid soaking into the carpeted floor. _

_China watched as his dream-self let out an anguished cry, one of utter horror and disbelief before attempting to rush down to his brother. But Germany grabbed onto him, holding the screaming and crying Asian back. Dream China tried his best to break free, crying out "Japan! **Japan**! **JAPAN**!"_

_He found himself slowly making his way down the stairs towards the broken body on the floor as the other nations rushed out of their bedrooms to see what the commotion was about. _'W-What is this?'_ he thought, kneeling beside his younger brother. China reached a hand out to touch Japan's black hair, soaked with the blood from his neck.  
_

_"H-He was just trying to leave... I-I told him that he shouldn't drive in the rain but he d-didn't want to i-impose...," France stuttered in shock. The other nations simply couldn't move once they heard France's explanation. Dream China didn't stop trying to escape Germany's grasp, which had soon required Russia to step in and help. _

_The sight of something in the shadows made his head snap up. China found himself staring at a strange... thing. He honestly wasn't sure what it was. Its form was distorted. But the smile... _

_The smile was one that he had seen before. On the clown, the mannequins, the dolls... _

He woke up.

* * *

China gasped, his eyes snapping open. He sat up but soon regretted it, his head immediately hurting from the sudden movement.

"China!" Several blurred forms were soon around him, yet he was only looking for one in particular. Upon seeing him, China grabbed onto Japan, drawing him into a tight hug despite the pain he was in from his wounds. The younger nation gasped in shock but slowly returned the hug when he realized his older brother was crying. The others backed off, watching the scene with slight surprise.

"It's okay China-san...," Japan muttered, "I'm right here..."

China didn't believe that.

* * *

_**Now, what exactly happened is that Japan had brought an umbrella with him because he heard on the news that it would be rainy in France that day. After grabbing it, Japan made his way down the stairs but then slipped. The umbrella flew out of his hand and ended up opening as it landed, the tip of it pointed up. Japan then ended up accidentally landing on it, neck first.** _

**_If you want to actually see how it would look like (I don't recommend it), then look up the anime Another. The first character you see die, Yukari (a really cute girl with glasses), fell down the stairs and this happened. _**


End file.
